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The fire at Rooks Cantina 505 started just after 1 a.m. Wednesday. Everyone at the bar on Fourth Street got out safely.

"The whole back of the building just started on fire," waitress Erin Hawk said. "For the past couple of days, the lights have been flickering inside, and I think it's electrical. The back of the building is all wood back there, and it just lit up like nobody's business, just a back wall of flame, and then it went to the upstairs, and that's where you see all the smoke coming from."

Owner Denise Romero had just purchased the former Rooks East Side Saloon two months ago and reopened it under its new name.

"We were just honored to be a part of this. I just don't know what we're going to do now. We're still in shock," Romero said.

Rooker, a member of Pittsburgh's 1979 World Series championship team, sold the bar three years ago after owning it for 28 years. His daughter called him at his home in Jacksonville, Florida, to tell him about the fire.

"It's just sad to see that kind of thing go away. All it is now is a memory. The people are so loyal in that town and that's what I miss about not living up there anymore," said Rooker.

The bar housed many pieces of Pittsburgh sports memorabilia that were lost in the fire. Among them was a football signed for Rooker by longtime Steelers coach Chuck Noll, who passed away last month.

"We bought a brand new display case, and we put it there, and we had a sign -- 'In memory of Chuck Noll'. We were so proud of that because everybody said, 'Oh, we haven't seen that in years.' Now it's gone," said Romero's husband, Martin Costanza.

The owners have insurance, but don't believe they'll be able to rebuild.